Arches National Park

People in the picture give some idea of the size

We were going to see Arches and Canyonlands National Parks on the same day, but then our car's navigation system sent us in an odd direction, and I took a long walk, and we only made it to Arches. Don't worry, we made it back to Canyonlands, and Jackie made it to Capitol Reef, so now we have both seen all five Utah National Parks.

The car pointed us toward a back road into the park, which seemed like it might be interesting, so we took it. In Utah, "back road" usually means gravel/dirt road, and this was no exception as the pavement lasted about 50 feet, so we drove for miles along a mostly gravel road with interesting views, little traffic, and RV's and trailers that reminded us of Nomadland parked off the road. The entrance to the park was just a sign and more dirt roads.

The car then sent us down a road to the trailhead to Tower Arch, which was odd because the road was a dead end. When we got to the 1.7-mile trail, Jackie suggested that I should take her camera and make the hike, so I did. Dogs cannot go on National Park trails, so Jackie and Arlo stayed at the parking lot while I trekked 3.5 miles back and forth. The hike took more than two hours, so by the time I got back to the car, it was past noon, and we were still barely in the park.

Then the car tried to send us on a road that was only for high-clearance four-wheel drive and off-road vehicles, but we didn't take the bait this time and instead continued on a gravel road that the navigation system did not recognize, and we eventually reached pavement and the main part of the park.

Arches does contain several arches, but also lots of standing rocks, big cliffs and more. Jackie got a lot of great pictures.

Nice shot of the most photogenic member of our group

And here he is again

The "road" into Arches

End of the road to Tower Arch trail. Jackie and Arlo are down there somewhere.

On the trek to Tower Arch

Still on the way

Made it! The Internet says Tower Arch is 43 feet tall, 92 feet wide.

Skyline Arch

One could be forgiven for thinking that Utah is covered with stone penises

The Fiery Furnace, striped red and white stone

One could be forgiven...

At The Windows. Several arches there, including the one at the top of this post.

Signs say this may be a one-time arch that fell long ago

At an area called The Courthouse. I decided that these are the judges.
 

Balanced Rock, the most famous landmark at Arches